HIS MAJESTY THE KING WILL VISIT PICKERING
Monday 12th June 2023
In celebration of its 100th anniversary, the Flying Scotsman will pull the Royal Train into Pickering Heritage Railway Station, the southern terminus of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.
After meeting shop owners on Pickering’s Market Place, His Majesty will visit St Peter and St Paul’s Church to view its collection of medieval wall paintings.
To mark the 100th anniversary of Flying Scotsman and the 50th anniversary of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, the Royal Train will be pulled into Pickering Heritage Railway Station by the famous locomotive.
The Flying Scotsman started life as just another of Sir Nigel Gresley’s A1 class of locomotives but is now considered one of the most famous locomotives in the world and officially the first locomotive to reach 100mph. Friday, 24th February 2023 marked 100 years since Flying Scotsman entered service.
On the platform at Pickering Heritage Railway Station, His Majesty will walk down the platform, meeting the custodian of Flying Scotsman Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill, and Mrs Judith McNicol, Director of the National Railway Museum, which is home to the Flying Scotsman.
After viewing the footplate of the Flying Scotsman, His Majesty will have an opportunity to meet staff and volunteers who have helped the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and Flying Scotsman reach its significant milestone. Amongst those who will be met include volunteers with over fifty years’ service, apprentices, and a diesel fitter.
At the ticket hall, the Chief Executive of North Yorkshire Moors Railway Mr Chris Price will say a few words before His Majesty unveils a plaque commemorating the 50th anniversary.
After departing Pickering Heritage Railway Station, His Majesty will have an opportunity to visit local shops on Pickering’s Market Place including Birdgate Chocolatiers, a handmade chocolatier and ice-cream shop that uses locally-sourced ingredients and Horsley Butchers which sells produce from the Duchy of Lancaster.
After meeting shop owners, His Majesty will head into St Peter and St Paul’s Church, a parish church which is part of the Church of England Diocese of York. The wall paintings of St Peter and St Paul’s Church, commissioned around 1450, are one of the most complete sets of medieval wall paintings in Britain and were only first accidentally rediscovered behind plaster in 1852. Depictions on the wall include those of St George slaying the dragon, the biblical story of the beheading of John the Baptist, the Coronation of the Virgin Mary, the seven Corporal Acts of Mercy and The Passion and Crucifixion of Christ.
On a tour of the church with its vicar, Reverend Gareth Atha and Dr Kate Giles Co-Director of the Centre for the Study of Christianity and Culture and Senior Lecturer at the University of York, His Majesty will hear more about the significance of the medieval paintings.
Before departing, His Majesty will sign a visitors’ book. The last royal visit to the church was in 1937 by Queen Mary.
North Yorkshire Moors Railway
North Yorkshire Moors Railway is one of the earliest and most historic lines in the North of England, taking visitors on picturesque journeys along an 18-mile railway line aboard steam and heritage diesel trains. The railway passes through stunning scenery, from wooded valleys to beautiful countryside, stopping at villages and seaside locations.
The line was registered as a charity under the title of the North York Moors Historical Railway Trust on 14th February 1973 before being officially opened by the Duchess of Kent later that year.
